Maori Art Goes Global

Maori Art Goes Global: How toughing it out in the bush can reach the world

"Greater opportunities online" is how Tia Kirk, Manager of Iwi Art, described the decision she made to end 7 years of Wellington presence of her whanau Maori art business, Iwi Art Gallery.

Ms Kirk has now re-established her whanau business as a virtual Maori art gallery, Iwi Art and Design, in the whanau homestead nestled in pristine east coast native bush 10 kilometres past Uawa Tolaga Bay.

“The Wellington gallery was going well, but the recession was well and truly here and I had no option but to take progressive action," said Ms Kirk.

“The result is the luxury of operating a website business at home – what more can you ask for?” She adds.

The move has meant that overheads like the $60,000 per year lease that was the reality in Wellington, is now invested in continuing to grow the business that supports up to 50 Maori artists from throughout the country. “We have always considered our artists as our major resource and that continuing to support the augurs well for Maori art overall.”

"It is only natural to move with the times - when the retail market was huge, we set up in Wellington. Now that it's tough, it's time to move on and evolve," said Ms Kirk, whose business has represented top Maori artists including Roi Toia, Rangi Kipa, Kohai Grace and many others.

"Not only have we saved significantly on overheads, we have also managed to branch out to a wider client base by building our online presence."

"We look forward to the prospect of growing our business, and also for the spotlight it will put on Tolaga Bay and on New Zealand, and more importantly we look forward to the growth of Maori art as a desired commodity by all across the globe," ends Ms Kirk.

The launch of the new Iwi Art and Design retail website will take place at the whanau homestead on Tuesday the 31st of July at 9am. The new website can be viewed at www.iwiart.co.nz from 9am 31/7/12.

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